Thursday, September 30, 2010

Here we are again with another one of Mama Kat's interesting Writing Assignments. Here is this week's: But teachers know everything!! Write about a time a teacher disappointed you.I had a hard time with this one. I've been lucky enough to never have truly been disappointed by a teacher. However, I recently heard the following from a friend and thought it would fit perfectly with this assignment.

Her teacher was absolutely wrong and needed to be corrected.

My friend was sitting in her 9th grade AP English class where they were discussing the horrific events of the Holocaust and specifically the Jew's living quarters at the time. The teacher of the class boldly stated that the "Jews lived in the Ghettos because they thought they were better than everyone else." My friend was instantly shocked and outraged but couldn't find the words at that moment to call the teacher out on this completely false statement. So instead she let it go and vowed to speak up the next day in class.

And she did just that.

She politely raised her hand and told the teacher and the rest of the class that actually, the Jews were FORCED to live in the Ghettos. The teacher was 100% wrong when he told them that they thought they were better than everyone else. He immediately apologized for saying that and promised to tell his other AP English classes the correct information.

At the end of that school year, that teacher ended up giving my friend the AP English Student of The Year. He told her it wasn't because she was smarter than everyone else or got better grades than everyone else, it was because she stood up for something she believed in and wasn't afraid to correct a teacher.

I think that they both deserve gold stars. My friend, of course, for being brave enough to tell the teacher he was wrong. And one for the teacher too for admitting he was wrong right away. Most people have a lot of trouble with that.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

This past weekend in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Gina and I walked through a ton of art galleries on the well-known Canyon Road. This painting in particular really spoke to Gina and I. Sadness was the first thing we both felt when we looked at it. I think it looks like she just had a fight with her boyfriend and she wants to lay on the couch for awhile and not think about it. I could go on but this is for "Wordless Wednesdays" so I'll stop here.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Tonight, my two roommates and I had dinner at The Ivy, one of LA's many celebrity hangouts. Swati's birthday was last week so Gina and I wanted to take her out to celebrate. We thought it would be fun to surprise her with a dinner at this ritzy, paparazzi packed spot. We even blindfolded her in the car on the way to the restaurant!

There were no photographers around The Ivy tonight which means that they apparently were not tipped off that any celebs would be there. Guess no one told them that the three of us were going to be there...haha. We still had fun!

I was surprised that the inside has a rather French-rustic charm to it. According to my research, The Ivy is probably the only restaurant in Los Angeles surrounded by a white picket fence. The fence is framed by what of course, ivy. It's busy dining rooms are filled with odd little rustic antiques and plenty of fresh real flowers everywhere. The menu is mainly American, with several seafood options and even a few Mexican dishes. Apparently, the restaurant began life as "L.A. Desserts" catering. Oh, FYI, we went to Yogurtland for dessert!

Now, you may be thinking that we spent a fortune on dinner at The Ivy tonight, but honestly, the prices were pretty much typical of LA, nothing out of the ordinary. I've just read a few bad reviews online of the service being awful and the food being only mediocre. Well, I completely disagree with this. It might have taken us awhile to get our drinks, but after that, the waiters were very sweet and attentive to us. I really love that crumb scooper thing they use whenever there are crumbs on the table. Our food was delicious. I had simple spinach filled ravioli in tomato sauce and it was very tasty. My roommates seemed happy with their choices too.

But of course, the food is not what The Ivy is all about. "It's about seeing and being seen." This celeb hot spot has had pretty much every celeb spotted eating there. The list is way too long.An MSNBC article called The Ivy "a celebrity beehive that sees a constant stream of Hummers, Mercedes and Jaguars pull up and discharge folks who pay through the nose to be seen eating in public".

Well, my roommates and I certainly aren't celebs...yet... but it was still fun to eat at such a trendy and hip restaurant here in LA.

I had a wonderful time with my roommate Gina in New Mexico. Despite the fact that the purpose of the trip was to attend a VA hospital and hand out her Pin-Ups for Vets Calendars, we found the time to simply be tourists as well. Like I said in my previous post, we went on the longest tram in the world, drove about an hour north to Santa Fe and enjoyed the art galleries there and even caught a movie before our flight home on Monday night.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

So I want to stay in touch with my blog while I am out of town so I thought I would quickly post this phone picture Gina took of us this afternoon on the longest tram in the world here! It was amazing! Many, many more pictures to follow and several you-tube videos! We are having a blast! This is a beautiful city and there is lots to keep us busy in between promoting Pin-Ups for Vets. Stay tuned for more!

Today, my roommate Gina and I are off to Albuquerque, New Mexico to hand-deliver Pin-Ups for Vets Calendars to the VA Hospital there. This will be my third trip with her doing this and I couldn't be happier. We have such a great time whenever we travel. Fortunately, we manage to fit in plenty of sightseeing when we travel along with visiting the hospital and occasionally checking out the local base as well. We'll also be meeting with several Pin-Ups for Vets supporters that live in Albuquerque. I think that this is the amazing thing about Gina's project. She has fans all over the country, well, actually, the world. It's great that she lets them know when she is going to be near them and actually makes the time to see them. On this trip we are of course going to shoot some more of our hugely popular (sarcasm) you-tube videos. So stay tuned for that!

Friday, September 24, 2010

I was very hesitant to get out of bed this morning. Very rarely do I dream about my parents so when I do, it jolts me. I can't really explain it but it really kicks me in the ass after I wake up from a dream with them in it.

This one was particularly unsettling because of how real parts of it felt. Even now, I can vividly remember what I saw, how my dad's hair smelt, what I touched and what it felt like to wrap my arms around my mother.

Here's a brief summary of what happened:

My sister, Tonya and I were hanging out in San Diego when suddenly we both starting feeling strange things, not exactly sure what, but we both felt the urge to get back to our parents house in Arizona. So, we hopped on a plane and headed to their empty house.

Once we were there, there were strange signs all over the house that someone had been there; suitcases were in a closet, a couple things were in the fridge, the garage door was up, our mom's favorite chair was sitting in the living room, my dad's grill was out back ready to be used, etc...

So, needless to say, we were totally freaked out by all this. Then out of the blue, some of my old high school friends appeared at the house and were acting really odd and seemed to be keeping something from us. At one point, we all got up and went to a restaurant for dinner. Once we were there, everyone was still acting so strange and wouldn't tell me what was going on. Suddenly, Tonya and I were being led into someones apartment and we were told to wait in the living room for something. We waited for what felt like hours but were really only moments.

Then there was a knock at the door and my mom and dad were standing in the doorway with the biggest smiles on their faces. My mom had tears rolling down her cheeks.

Words can't express how I felt. I was euphoric and shocked and exhilarated all at the same time. Tonya and I immediately ran to them and hugged them together. Our dad just kept repeating over and over, "I'm so sorry we left, I'm so sorry we left, I'm so sorry we left".

Now for the intense images I remember; I kissed my dad's cheek and could taste the aftershave he used that morning, his hair smelt oily and fresh and his cologne was light but still there. My mom's embrace felt so warm and her face was soft as she rubbed her nose against mine. She couldn't even get words out because she was crying so much. This is what is so hard, this part felt so real. It just didn't feel like a dream. How could something that felt so real be a dream?

I sort of recall asking them why they left Tonya and I? How could do they do something like this to us? Why did they have to fake their deaths? But I woke up and never got to hear their answers. Then for about an hour, I stayed in bed and tried falling back asleep. I wanted to fall back into that dream with them but of course that never happens. I swear some days, I would much rather stay asleep and pretend they are alive and well than be alive in a world where they don't.

Who knows why I dream about them when I do and why don't I more often. I know it's useless to look for meaning in all that. All I know is that while I do love seeing them and hugging them in my dreams, it makes waking up to my reality all the more harder.

#1 Flip-Off to my pesky throat which has decided to cause me a bit of annoyance. This seriously cannot happen because I have two big important trips coming up this weekend and next. I understand that perhaps I've been pushing myself a little hard lately but come on, I'm working out daily, eating my fruits and veggies, drinking lots of water and getting plenty of sleep... that is, when I'm not in Vegas. : ) I had an Airborne today, an Emergen-C and tons of water so here's hoping that works! Immune System, don't be a jerk!

#2 A big fat Flip-Off to bills. I swear I've written like a check or two everyday this week! Grrrr!

#3 Flip-Off to planning events and then having only two people show up! Ugh! I had what really cannot be called a fundraiser on Wednesday night at "Shakey's". I was so desperate for receipts that I actually went around to other people that I didn't even know at the restaurant and kindly asked them for their receipts. Of course they were more than willing to give me their receipts when I told them that it was for a Breast Cancer fundraiser. I am so heated about this that I'll be writing a full post about commitment phobia people soon so stay tuned for that.

#4 Flip-Off to packing! Why do I feel like I'm always doing it?! I'll unpack any day but its the packing that I really hate! I'm headed to New Mexico on Saturday for only three days and I am totally waiting until the last minute to pack. Does anyone actually enjoy it?

#5 And just because I'm feeling it right now, Flip-Off to these new Invisalign trays that I put in today! Ouch, they are so tight on my teeth and really hurt!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

This week's Mama Kat's Writing Assignment was: "In the book I'm reading, Girls of Tender Age,the main character is deeply affected by the murder of a childhood friend. Describe a tragedy you didn't expect to be as deeply affected by as you are."

My friend, Kate, died about two years ago and it hit me harder then I ever thought possible. I guess I just assumed that after losing both my parents, hearing of a friend's death wouldn't be as hard to handle.

I was wrong.

Kate and I went to the same middle school in Myanmar. She was only there for two years with me and then moved back to her home, Australia.

Kate was 24. I won't go into the details of what happened to her but it was accidental. She had her whole life ahead of her. It breaks my heart to think that she never got to become someone's wife, have children, be a part of her sister's and brother's families, travel more, have an amazing career and just simply live a wonderful and full life.

I had just seen Kate a month before she passed away while I was vacationing in Australia with a college friend. She was living in Melbourne at the time and I just so happened to be staying with a friend in her same neighborhood! What are the chances of that happening?! I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I was to be able to have that opportunity to see her again. Before this trip, I hadn't seen her in about 10 years! I can't help but believe that I was meant to go there. I was meant to see her again.

Her profile wall on facebook is always full of new comments of friends simply stopping by to say hello and say how much they miss her. Her birthday was just on Monday so I've been thinking about her more than usual this week. She would have been 26, just like me. It's hard to imagine anyone I care about dieing, but someone my age, that hits even deeper.

She was a beautiful, kind and fearless woman and I am proud to have been a part of her life, even for just a short time.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Next Wednesday, September 22nd from 6 to 9, I will be having a Fundraiser at "Shakey's" on 6052 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036. It's basically the corner of Olympic and Fairfax.

As you might have seen from my emails or right here on my blog, I'm walking 60 miles October 1-3 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. In order to walk, we have to raise $2,300. That's a lot of money so I need to raise it any way I can! So "Shakeys" is going to give me 25% of the money raised that night, this includes only the group of people that I invite. So, what does that mean? That means that it's super important that you come to this and of course invite a friend or two to join you.

Please RSVP as soon as you know if you'll be coming or not. I need to give "Shakey's" a headcount. Thank you! You can email me at littleleah3@gmail.com.

"Shakey's" is known for their large plentiful pizzas and their famous chicken. Their food is tasty and inexpensive. Sounds good, right? There are also a few big screen TVs in there so you won't miss out any games going on that night. Plus, I'll also have a few gifts to my lucky friends that come! : ) Please come and enjoy some yummy food post work and of course catch up with me!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

3.) Write about what blogging means to you. Why do you blog? What purpose does it serve you and how have you benefited from sharing a piece of yourself online this way?

Well, quite simply, I blog because it's the perfect release for me. Blogging is also a neat way of getting my thoughts organized and maybe even figure out a few things too. It's almost like therapy. Guess my followers are like my shrinks so please continue to be honest and kind. : ) Thanks for helping me get through life's many ups and downs.

I've certainly gotten some very good advice from blogging and I have learned some interesting new things about my friends. I'm also friends now with a few new people because of our blogs. I especially love this.

Honestly, I never knew that such a blogging world exists. I never knew there were actually whole conventions devoted to blogging and all they do is talk about each other blogs and exchange ideas on how to promote their blogs. I would attend one of those if I felt the need to grow but I'm happy with my 20 something followers. I know you all and you all know me so its a happy little blogging family. : )

Never in a million years would I have thought that I would enjoy writing about my life for all to read on their computers.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Yesterday I blogged about meeting Philip Bloom, a renown photographer at the Santa Monica pier. Well, he approached us and asked to take a few pictures of us. This one was my favorite. I love all the bright colors and how happy we both look. Not sure how I feel about the blond wig on me but it was definitely fun for the day.

This post is for Wordless Wednesdays. I'll also link this up over at A Beautiful Mess.

So now that I've gone public with the fact that I'm nannying now, I'm going to start posting about my experiences.

First up, the art of napping.Why is it that when we are little, it takes so much effort from our parents, nannies, etc, to get us to go to take naps and finally go to bed at night.

Then, when we grow up, we would gladly be forced to take a nap. I would love it if someone made me take a 2 hour nap at 11am everyday! If only we treasured nap time when we were younger... Maybe then, we wouldn't all need naps so much when we got older. Sure, maybe not everyone needs a daily 2 hour nap but I think most people would agree that they would benefit from a 20-30 minute snooze in the middle of the day.I remember never wanting to go to sleep when I was little because I thought I was going to miss out on something interesting. I would have gladly fallen asleep right there in the room with my parents and/or sister but to be taken to my room to sleep was the worst!That brings me to something I'm struggling with little Jake whom I'm nannying for now. Around 11am, he takes his afternoon nap; he eats a little snack, has a little milk and then we mosey on into his bedroom. He grabs his blanket, pacifier and then happily picks out a book for me to read him. Then he gets comfy on my lap. Jake is usually sound asleep 10-15minutes after I begin reading. Just to be sure he is really good and sleeping, I sit there with him sleeping in my lap for a few minutes longer.

Then comes the part that I really struggle with, the complicated transfer from my lap to the crib. How is this properly done without disturbing the sleeping child? I haven't mastered it yet because every time I move him and lay him down in his crib, he wakes up and cries. I don't even blame him for disturbing his slumber. I should know better than to move him from my evidently comfortable lap... haha. So, got any tips for me?

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

This afternoon my roommate Gina and I spent shooting our 6th you-tube video at the infamous Santa Monica Pier. I'll upload the video tomorrow morning but for now enjoy these amazingly cute pictures we took in between shooting the video.

We definitely rode the renown Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel! It was a lot of fun and incredibly beautiful shooting the video way up at the top.Gina introduced me to a part of the pier that I've never been to before-the underneath. We took some awesome pictures there. The lighting was just perfect for pictures. The water, however, was freezing! It's taken me awhile to learn but Gina has taught me the art of posing like a pin-up girl.

Little did we know that the day we decided to shoot our video, a group of professional photographers from all over the world were meeting up right there at the pier. One in particular actually came up to us and wanted to know what we were doing all dressed up. He happened to be Philip Bloom, a well-known filmmaker and director of photography. He must have really loved our look because he asked to take a few pictures of us and even requested a picture with us altogether.

A trip to Santa Monica wouldn't be complete without a quick visit to Muscle Beach, "home of the physical fitness boom of the twentieth century." Of course we couldn't work out in our cute play suits. : )

Monday, September 13, 2010

A part of me feels like a failure. I moved to LA to pursue the music business. I've wanted to work at a record label forever and music is my passion. I moved here back in January with a few contacts and a couple potential job leads. Yet, here I am 9 months later and no music job to speak of. There are just no open paid positions in the music industry right now. Trust me, I've looked everywhere and asked everyone that I know here.

Here comes my confession; I've decided to put the music business job search on hold and I've taken on a full time nannying and babysitting gig. Perhaps if I call myself an 'Au-Pair', it will sound fancier. Anyway, as I've mentioned before in my blog, I started babysitting shortly after I moved here. I have always at one time in my life or another worked with children. I guess it's no surprise that a teacher's daughter would enjoy being with kids. Plus, I'm really just a big kid at heart so that attributes to it as well. : )

Despite the the fact that I really enjoy nannying and it's pretty good money and I'm not stuck behind a desk all day, I still cannot help but feel like a failure. This was certainly NOT my plan. I had much higher musical hopes for my life here in LA.So, now what? Do I stop searching for music biz jobs altogether and focus on this nannying gig? I'm not sure. I guess what's important now is if I'm happy and have a steady income, check and check to that. Life has definitely thrown me harder curve balls in the past.

So, the family that I'm working for has an adorable 16 month old boy named Jake and a little Maltese-Shitzu named Chloe, that I look after during the day as well.Jake is a super lovable and easy-going kid. I really couldn't have asked for a better behaved or happier child to nanny for. My favorite thing to do (now, that I've gotten the hang of it) is to go on walks around their neighborhood with the two of them. Jake sits happily in his red wagon picking up leaves and Chloe trots ahead of us, on a leash of course. The family lives very close to me which saves me the headache of dealing with awful LA morning traffic. I've been working for this family for only two weeks but I can already tell it's going be a very rewarding experience.

Life really is all about adjusting your plan and being flexible enough to change it accordingly. I suppose that's exactly what I'm doing. Recently, I watched an old episode of "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer", and in one particular moving Buffy speech, she says, "I'm like cookie dough, I'm not done baking. I'm not done being who I'm going to be." This line really spoke to me. When are we ever really done "baking"? 30? 40? 50 even?

I still want to eventually work at a record label but for now, I'll do the nannying thing. Perhaps my big confession shouldn't be that I took this nannying job, but rather, I confess that I'm still trying to figure out who I am and what career path I want to follow. Geesh, is this what 27 is supposed to feel like?

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Yep, Gina and I made another you-tube video yesterday at the fair! We are on fire with these you-tube videos, aren't we?! This time we asked people at the fair what the best pick up line they've ever heard was. It was a lot of fun! Check out the video here: Pick Up Lines Pin-Ups Prefer. Enjoy!

Please also tell your friends and family about our you-tube videos, as we are trying to increase our viewing audience. Thanks and happy watching!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

9 years ago today, 2,974 people were killed in the terrorists attacks at the World Trade Center, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon.America was changed forever on this day.

Like most people I can't forget recalling where I was when I heard about this heartbreaking news. I thought I had an interesting take on the day so I sent my story, "How September 11th Changed Me" to a fellow blogger, Troy over at his website. Please check out his blog for my story. I am incredibly thankful that he added my post to his renown military blog.

I spent today at the LA County Fair at a fund-raising event with my roommate Gina for her project, Pin-Ups for Vets. Of course we had to dress up as Pin-Ups for the whole day! That wasn't a problem for me because you know how much I love dressing up. I especially love all Gina's fun wigs! What do you think of me with this short black hair?

One of my favorite parts about today was getting to try the delicious fried Oreos! OMG! They were amazing! I seriously heart Oreos! If you get the chance to go the fair, try them! Of course, they aren't something that you should be eating all the time. : )

Another fun thing that happened today at the fair is Steve Wilkos showed up to sign autographs and take pictures with fans. For those of you that don't know him, he was Jerry Springer's main security guard on his show. But now, he of course has his own talk show currently in it's 4th season. I've never seen it but apparently he has quite a following. He was a nice guy and just so happened to be a Marine. This of course made him super VET friendly.We also got to hang out with the renown Iraqi Veteran, Bryan Anderson. His story is incredibly moving and was featured on the January 2007 cover of Esquire magazine. His experience will astound you and certainly teach you what it means to be strong in the face of immense hardships. These are the kind of people that I look up to.

Things have been really good and busy for me this week so I don't have too much to complain about but of course I still managed to participate in this week's Friday Flip-Off. Thanks to Kludgy Mom for creating this meme.

#1 Why does there never seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done and also get a good night's sleep? So flip-off...the fast passage of time? Just when I think I have everything crossed off my to-do list, something else comes and lo and behold, it's 11pm at night and I'm exhausted. Whew! Guess I need to do a better job of prioritising.

#2 I've flipped it off before and I'm doing it again today, flip-off fundraising! Ugh! I just got done doing it for the Disneyland Half-Marathon and now I have to do it all over again for the 3 Day Breast Cancer Walk. Yikes! Let's hope my % Night at Shakey's in two weeks goes well.

#3 Flip-off to wilting flowers! Yes, this is kind of a silly flip-off but I got a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my friend Tracy on Sunday and they don't have too many more days left in them. I just wish flowers would last longer. Any tips? Windex or 7-Up in the water or something else like that?

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

One of the best things about discovering new blogs is all the awesome daily posting ideas you get. Because lets face it, sometimes I'm just not in the mood to blog.

Well, today, I learned about "Tuesday Three", this is where you share three things that you did over the weekend that you really enjoyed. Thanks to Turmoil and Juliette for introducing me to it and thanks to Stilettos and a fishing pole for creating it.

Ok, here goes my Tuesday Three:

#1 Of course, I have to mention running the Disneyland Half-Marathon on Sunday as the biggest and best thing I did this weekend! It sort of blows everything else out of the water.

#2 Seeing "Eat, Pray Love" with my two roommates, Gina and Swati, on Monday evening was a lot of fun. The three of us hardly ever hang out altogether so it was definitely a rare occasion. We all have such crazy and different schedules that we really get excited when we can do something together. Here's to hanging out much more often ladies!

#3 So because of all the training I've been doing for my half-marathon, I haven't been drinking much lately. Well, on Monday before seeing the movie, my roommate Swati and I enjoyed a delicious bottle of champagne that I've been saving since March. It was amazing and it really felt celebratory! Yum, I love champagne!

Monday, September 6, 2010

I just started following the very sweet and new, Turmoil and Juliet today and there I learned about "Monday Minute" which is hosted by Heather, Melissa and Jules. Enjoy!1. If you could interview any famous person, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you ask? This is so hard! There are so many famous people that I would love to interview. Hmmm... Perhaps Anne Frank. I've always been fascinated with her life and death. I would want to know where she found the strength in that attic to keep going and live her life. 2. You have to give up one thing for a month. What would it be - car, guilty pleasure (ie. food, drink, fav. tv show), or sex? Umm wow! I don't know. I know that I 100% could NOT live a month without my car. Guilty pleasures...yeah, I could totally go without my favorite food, drink or tv show. And sex, well, we can all go a month without it....right?! 3. Is there a word/phrase you say that you are made fun of for? If so, what is it? I say "breakfast" like "breafast" and occasionally I say "Treadmill" like "Treadmeal". Then some of my college friends make fun of me for saying "Come on guys" in a sing-songy way...

4.Which is a stronger emotion: Anger or Love? I would like to say love is stronger any day. I'm a big believer that love really does conquer all if you let it.

5. Where was your first job? Babysitting. I can't really remember any of the kids that I first babysat for but I do remember loving earning my own money for the first time.

Here's a list of all the things I learned from running the Disneyland Half-Marathon yesterday:

I have a new-found respect for my body and what it can do.

I love energy goos, gels and blocks! They got me through a few tough miles.

For this first running event, running the fastest time was not important to me, running with my pace group and enjoying the experience was.

While I have a new-found respect for runners in general, I also think that absolutely anyone can run a half-marathon. It just takes lots of training and determination. Seriously, if I can do it, anyone can.

I haven't been this proud of myself in awhile and let me tell you, it feels amazing to achieve something like this. It gives me hope that I can conquer anything that I put my mind to. Yes, this is cheesy but true.

I now understand the 'runners high'. I can't begin to explain what it feels like but it definitely exits. All I know is that I want to experience it again and soon!

Of course I already knew how awesome my friends were but some of them were downright amazing throughout my training and then cheering me on from wherever they were the day of my race. I would like to give a shout out to my awesome sister, Tonya and her husband, my roomie, Gina, Courtney S, Stacy, Em, and Tracy. I love you girls and I know that I couldn't have done this without you. XOXO

Who Am I?

I'm a 20 something that made the big move to Los Angeles, California in January 2010. Breaking into the music industry has proven to be very difficult so I've dived into other areas while I actively pursue that career. Through this blog, I'll share with you my daily adventures here in the "City of Angels" as I learn them. I hope you'll join me for this crazy ride!